EAII Advisors Principal Manager- Supply Chain Management

About EAII

EAII Advisors, Evidence Action's technical partner in India, supports state governments in delivering evidence-based public health programs, including safe drinking water initiatives and school and Anganwadi-based National Deworming Day and iron and folic acid supplementation. Operating across 10 states, EAII Advisors provides technical assistance to ministries of health, education, water, and women and child development, reducing health burdens in impoverished communities and improving the long-term wellbeing of children and families.

For more information, read about our work here: About Evidence Action and EAII

About Evidence Action

At Evidence Action, we deliver data-driven interventions that transform lives at an unprecedented scale. We identify neglected global health issues and deploy proven solutions, forging healthier futures for generations.

Our model operationalizes leading academic research (including from Nobel-winning economists). We measure progress and outcomes at every stage to ensure we're making a real impact for people living in poverty and suffering from preventable or treatable health issues. Operating across 9 countries, our team of 800+ has reached over 500 million people, working closely with governments to scale these interventions.

• Our Deworm the World program has delivered over 2 billion treatments, significantly reducing worm prevalence and generating more than $23 billion in lifetime productivity gains.
• Through Safe Water Now, we've saved the lives of over 15,000 children.
• Our Accelerator explores untapped opportunities in global health, testing low-cost interventions with the greatest potential to save and improve lives.
  

At Evidence Action, your colleagues are your greatest asset. You'll partner with high-caliber colleagues in an environment blending innovation, autonomy, and teamwork. Our team excels in disruptive thinking and believes in rolling up our sleeves to get things done. If you're looking to work flexibly and with purpose, join a team that delivers measurable change for millions.

The Role

Reporting to the Director, Programs (Health & Nutrition), this role focuses on developing strategies to strengthen supply chain components of our key programs in India - the Equal Vitamin Access (EVA) program (IFA Supplementation Program) and Deworm the World program - across all implementation states and at the national level. Approximately 20% of this role will be dedicated to global strategic SCM support for the EVA program, with a particular focus on the IFA program in Malawi.

This position is critical to ensuring the uninterrupted availability of essential drugs across EAII-supported H&N programs to achieve high coverage. The role involves close collaboration with Senior Managers, State Leads, Associate/Director–Programs, and government counterparts to advise and support on all aspects of supply chain planning, implementation, monitoring, and stakeholder engagement while ensuring that robust, responsive, and efficient supply chain systems are in place across states and globally.

 Responsibilities

Planning and procurement

• Collaborate with state and national teams to develop/review tools and trackers, and establish mechanisms to ensure timely and demand-aligned purchase orders against set targets.
• Develop and implement cost-effective procurement and supply chain strategies to ensure uninterrupted availability of essential supplies and achieve higher program coverage.
• Maintain updated records of suppliers/manufacturers, and liaise with them to monitor availability, lead times, and costs.
• Support government officials in leading variant-wise drug distribution planning aligned with district and block-level targets.

Distribution and inventory management

• Establish and manage robust inventory monitoring systems to prevent stockouts and ensure efficient flow of supplies to the last mile.
• Ensure regular updates of internal dashboards and trackers to support timely decision-making.
• Support pre-NDD (National Deworming Day) drug risk assessments (drug recall) and AE (adverse event) protocol implementation across states.

Monitoring and data systems

• Strengthen the quality and use of internal and government platforms (e.g., e-Aushadhi, HMIS, LMIS) to support accurate and timely tracking of drug availability.
• Track, reconcile, and triangulate key performance indicators in internal and government data (supply and coverage), analyze discrepancies, and share actionable recommendations with stakeholders.
• Promote the use of technology-enabled tools and data-driven approaches to improve forecasting, distribution planning, and inventory accuracy.
• Provide ongoing technical support to state teams, including field visits to assess and strengthen supply chain mechanisms.
• Integrate supply chain reviews into broader programmatic planning and monitoring processes.

Risk management and quality assurance

• Conduct regular supply chain risk assessments to identify and address potential disruptions well in advance.
• Coordinate with relevant authorities to ensure quality testing and regulatory compliance of procured commodities.
• Lead capacity-building efforts, including the development and delivery of training modules and mentoring for the government supply chain nodal officers.

Stakeholder and government engagement

• Build and maintain strong relationships with National Health Mission (NHM), state medical corporations, and key stakeholders involved in procurement and distribution.
• Support donor reporting and contribute to the documentation of lessons learned and best practices.

Cross-Program Learning and Sharing

• Develop a strategic framework for supply chain strengthening, and routinely report on progress around key activities 
• Capture and share best practices, innovations, and challenges across EVA and DtWI programs.
• Facilitate cross-state and cross-program learning to drive coherence and continuous improvement in supply chain strategy and operations.
• Share recommendations for building supply chain resilience, based on best practices and learnings from other programs.

Key focus areas for global support (~20% role):

• Review and suggest improvements to supply indicators in reporting tools for IFA supplementation. 
• Identify mechanisms to improve supply chain processes to ensure IFA tablets are consistently available in adequate quantities at schools and health facilities.
• Provide guidance to the Malawi country team on mechanisms to improve supply tracking and reduce wastage.

Requirements

• Bachelor's or advanced degree in logistic and supply chain management, business administration, public health, or related field
• 10-15 years of relevant professional experience in supply chain operations, ideally in an analytic or management role related to public health, nutrition, or water and sanitation (WASH) programs, of which a minimum of 5-8 years must be in national-level management or multi-state operations.
• Demonstrated experience in day-to-day management of supply chain systems in coordination with government stakeholders at national and state levels
• Strong familiarity with procurement systems under the NHM, JJM,  state medical corporations, and other public health entities
• Proven ability to design, implement, and monitor end-to-end supply chain strategies, including forecasting, procurement, distribution, and inventory management, and to communicate these strategies to a wide range of stakeholders
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and Google Workspace (G-sheets and Data Studio) (including dashboard development) and comfort with digital inventory platforms
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in Hindi and English, with demonstrated ability to synthesize complex data into high-quality reports and actionable recommendations for diverse stakeholders including government, development partners, internal teams, vendors, and external parties
• Critical, analytical, and process-oriented thinker with proven ability to independently solve supply chain issues and work with minimal supervision while proactively communicating progress updates and escalating bottlenecks as needed
• Availability to travel up to 60% of the time across program implementation geographies in India
  
  Desirable
• Prior experience working on programs involving mass drug administration
• Exposure to donor-funded projects with a strong focus on supply chain metrics and reporting
• Experience in advising or consulting for public sector procurement and distribution of key commodities
• Experience developing training content and conducting capacity-building workshops for frontline Health program functionaries
• Availability for global travel up to 5% of the time

Benefits

EAII provides a comprehensive benefits package for employees. Benefits include:

• comprehensive health insurance,
• retirement savings options,
• life insurance,
• generous leave,
• avenues for engagement and recognition.

Compensation:  Competitive and commensurate with the individual's credentials, experience, and previous pay scale. 

All contracting arrangements will be made through EAII Advisors Private Limited. EAII is an equal opportunity employer. Employment at EAII is based solely on an individual's merit and qualifications directly related to professional competence. EAII does not discriminate against any employee or applicant because of race, caste, creed, colour, religion, gender, origin, disability, marital status, or any other basis protected by law.